


Number 28

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Episode Related: Sentinel Too, Episode Related: Switchman, Episode Related: The Sentinel: by Blair Sandburg, First Times, Humor, M/M, Part Two, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 00:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/792030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Email surveys can be a pain in the neck.  But some are worth doing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Number 28

**Author's Note:**

> For Elizabeth, who beta'd and encouraged.

## Number 28

by m butterfly

Author's webpage: <http://Skinner.Mulder.com/walfox>

Author's disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the series; just wish I did.

* * *

Number 28  
by m. butterfly 

"Sandburg!" 

"Hmmm?" 

"What's this?" 

Blair removed his hand from the mouse and looked over the top of his PC at Jim. "What's what?" 

Ellison gestured impatiently at his own gently glowing monitor. "This 'twisted survey' you sent me. I was under the distinct impression you read the memo about the department's e-mail policy." 

A pair of vibrant blue eyes rolled at him. "That's 'Survey With a Twist,' and it's not dirty or a joke or anything. It's from Naomi." 

"Oh, wonderful." 

"It's just a questionnaire, Jim." 

"But it's not work related." It was bad enough that Jim received e-mail from Blair's new-agey mother at home. Boring, nagging shit about the perils of high cholesterol and meditation for beginners and career alternatives. Jesus. 

"It's sort of work related," Blair reasoned. "It shows you just how much you know about the person who sent it to you. And if there's something you don't know, you just ask and find out. So the more we know about each other, the better partners we'll be, and the more cases we'll be able to solve. And we might even learn something about ourselves." 

"Uh-huh." Jim scowled and reached for his mouse. 

"Wait!" Blair practically flew over to Jim's desk and slapped his hand away. "Don't delete it." 

"Sandburg. I've got to finish this report before we leave tonight." 

"Lighten up, okay? There's nothing else going on right now, Simon's in a meeting upstairs...It's only about 30 questions, so how long can it take? Besides, it might be fun." 

Perfect eyebrows shot up skeptically. "'Fun,' huh?" 

"Unless, of course, you're afraid to try it because you don't know me half as well as you think you do." 

Blair was playing dirty, using his knowledge of Jim's competitive nature against him. "You challenging me, Sandburg?" 

"I bet I know more about you than you know about me." 

"Okay, junior. You're on. The loser has to make dinner every night for the next week." 

"Make it two weeks." 

"Why not? You've got more recipes than Betty Crocker, let alone me." 

Blair went back to his desk. "Keep yucking it up, Slick. But I'm the one who's gonna be laughing while you tie that pretty little apron around your pretty little..." 

"Sandburg, I'm trying to concentrate here." 

"Sorry." His expression turned serious. "And answer honestly, okay?" 

Jim didn't notice the subtle change in Blair's demeanour. "Huh. I will if you will." He opened the forwarded message and began filling in the survey. 

From: Blair Sandburg [bsandburg@cascadepd.gov]  
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 2:34 PM  
To: Jim Ellison [jellison@cascadepd.gov]  
Subject: FW: SURVEY WITH A TWIST 

YOU fill in the blanks about ME and send it back to me, but first send a blank one out to all your friends so they can return the favor to you. Be honest--they're really cool to get back, and you might find out something you missed before. It only takes a few minutes, so just do it! First, send this survey to everyone you know to see how well they know you. Second, fill this survey out about the person who sent it to you and send it back to them, because don't we all enjoy avoiding work? 

  1. My name: Blair Sandburg 
  2. Where did we meet? Cascade General 



This was going to be a breeze. Maybe he could talk Blair into making that Lebanese chicken and green pepper dish tonight. 

3\. Take a stab at my middle name: 

"Shit." 

Blair looked over at Jim. "What? Stuck already?" 

David? Isaac? _Rainbow_? Blair was, after all, Naomi Sandburg's son. 

"Let me guess. You don't know the answer to number three. Am I right, James _Joseph_ Ellison?" 

Jim glared, but it wasn't Blair he was angry with. "What the hell _is_ your middle name?" 

Blair tried not to look smug. "I don't have one." 

That wasn't at all what Jim was expecting. "What? Everyone has a middle name." 

"No they don't. _I_ don't." 

Fuck. Why didn't he know that? He should've known that. Blair was his partner, for Christ's sake. Muttering profanities, Ellison went back to the survey. 

4\. How long have you known me? 4 years. 

5\. How well do you know me? Too well. 

6\. Do I smoke? No. 

7\. Do I believe in God? Yes. Every one of them. 

8\. When you first saw me, what was your impression? That you were beautif-- 

Oh, _that_ would go over well. Jim rubbed his hand over his eyes, then backspaced like a madman. 

8\. When you first saw me, what was your impression? That you were a fake. 

Oh, God. He couldn't say that, either, even though it was also true. From the moment Blair introduced himself at the hospital, Jim didn't believe for one second that the hyper, long-haired kid was a medical doctor. But the memory of Blair's press conference was still too fresh in his mind--and, probably, Blair's--to use a synonym for "fraud" even in jest. 

8\. When you first saw me, what was your impression? That you'd just escaped from the mental ward. 

There. That was better. 

9\. My age? 31 going on 14. 

10\. My birthday? May 24 

11\. Colour hair? Brown. 

12\. Colour eyes? Blue. 

13\. Do I have any siblings? No. 

14\. Are my parents still together? Hell, no. 

15\. What's one of my favorite things to do? Drive Jim crazy. 

Blair was right. This _was_ fun. 

16\. Do you remember one of the first things I said to you? Hello, my name is Dr. McKay. 

17\. What's my favorite type of music? Annoying. 

Thoroughly amused with himself, Jim chuckled. 

18\. What's my best feature? 

Hmmm. This was a hard one. Was it his hair? Or those huge, expressive eyes? Or that full mouth? Or that firm-- 

18\. What's my best feature? Your personality. 

19\. Am I shy or outgoing? Oh, please. 

20\. Would you say I'm funny? Yes. Looking. (ha, ha) 

21\. Am I a rebel or do I follow all the rules? REBEL. You have _never_ followed _any_ rules. Especially house rules. 

22\. Any special talents? Teaching, relating to people, detective work, cooking, playing guitar, singing, sports, taking care of Sentinels. 

But that reminded him of the Alex Barnes fiasco, and there was no way in hell he was going to bring that up again and hurt Blair. With a sigh, Jim did some more backspacing and changed the last bit to, "taking care of _your_ Sentinel." 

23\. Would you consider me a friend? The best. 

The crooked grin on Jim's face softened into a gentle smile. 

24\. Would you call me preppy, slutty, a homie, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else? 

He snickered at "hippie," but keyed in, "You're something else, all right." 

25\. Have you ever seen me cry? Not seen. _Heard_ , though. 

On those rare occasions when Blair had crawled away to grieve privately, it was all Jim could do not to rush to his side, wipe the tears from his face, take him into his arms... 

26\. If there were one good nickname for me, what would it be? Chief. But Darwin's good too. 

27\. What do I love? Your mother. Teaching. People. Your job. Running tests on me. Your friends. Reading. Basketball. Camping. Fishing. Weird music. Weirder food. Life. 

28\. Have you ever had a crush on me? 

"Uh, Chief?" 

"Hmmm?" Blair's fingers were dancing across the keyboard, and his glasses had slipped fetchingly down his nose. Jim wanted and didn't want to push them back up. 

"Is this the _exact_ message Naomi sent you?" 

Finished, Blair turned away from the monitor and focused on Jim. "Yeah. Why?" 

"Nothing. Just wondering." 

28\. Have you ever had a crush on me? 

Sweet Jesus. 

"Jim? You done yet?" 

Ellison continued to stare straight ahead. "Almost." 

"Something else you can't answer?" 

"No." He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sandburg, this is stupid. Let's just forget about it, okay?" 

"No, it's _not_ okay. You can't back out just because you didn't know my middle name and I knew yours." 

"That's not--Oh, fuck it." Ellison hit the send button. Hard. 

Blair jumped out of his chair. "Tell me you didn't just delete it." 

"No, I didn't. But I should have." 

"I don't see why. You--" The familiar ping of incoming mail stopped the rant in its infancy. He took his seat, opened the new message, and began to read. He did a lot of nodding, some head shaking, a little chuckling. 

Then Blair's eyes widened. He'd come to the final third of the survey. "Oh. Oh, Jim." 

"What?" 

"You know, you're a really sweet guy when you're not being a smart ass." 

"Fuck off." 

"Yup. A really sw--Hey! You forgot to answer the last question." 

"I didn't forget." Jim began examining the cuticle he was picking. "I didn't answer it on purpose." 

"Why not?" 

"Did _you_ answer it?" 

"Yeah." Blair tried but failed to hide his discomfort from the surprised Sentinel. 

"Really? I--What did you say?" 

"You'll find out later. When we get home." 

Jim gaped at him. "You sent it to me at home? What for? Why didn't you just send it to my work account?" 

Blair couldn't meet Jim's eye. "I dunno." 

"Oh, don't give me that!" He reached over and tapped the side of Blair's head. "You know everything. At least, that's what you're always telling me." 

Sandburg snickered, but still wouldn't look up from his folded, unusually still hands. "You'll figure it out when you read it. Do you want me to help you finish that report?" 

* * *

Because Jim had yet to read Blair's questionnaire, and there was no official winner of their little competition, they compromised and ordered pizza that night. Blair insisted that Jim wait until after dinner to check his e-mail, then proceeded to babble nervously while they ate. 

When the mess was cleaned up and Jim finally seated in front of the computer, he had to fight the urge to scroll to the bottom of Blair's message. 

From: Blair Sandburg [bsandburg@cascadepd.gov]  
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 2:57 PM  
To: Jim [bigjagsfan@hotmail.com]  
Subject: FW: SURVEY WITH A TWIST 

  1. My name: Jim Ellison 
  2. Where did we meet? The hospital 
  3. Take a stab at my middle name: Joseph 
  4. How long have you known me? Four years 
  5. How well do you know me? Better than anyone 
  6. Do I smoke? No 
  7. Do I believe in God? Yes 
  8. When you first saw me, what was your impression? That you weren't as tough as you wanted me to think you were 
  9. My age? 38 
  10. My birthday? July 31, 1962 
  11. Colour hair? Dark brown 
  12. Colour eyes? Ice blue 
  13. Do I have any siblings? Yes (Stephen) 
  14. Are my parents still together? No 
  15. What's one of my favorite things to do? Help people 
  16. Do you remember one of the first things I said to you? "Your name tag says Dr. _McCoy_ " 
  17. What's my favorite type of music? Rock 'n roll a la Santana 



Yup. Sandburg knew him, all right. Inside out. 

18\. What's my best feature? Your soul 

Oh, my. 

19\. Am I shy or outgoing? Shy 

20\. Would you say I'm funny? Yes 

21\. Am I a rebel or do I follow all the rules? You're a rebel who follows most of the rules 

22\. Any special talents? Too many to list here 

Awww, Blair... 

23\. Would you consider me a friend? The best one I've ever had 

24\. Would you call me preppy, slutty, a homie, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else? Definitely something else. 

He smiled. Blair's answers to the last two questions were essentially the same as his. 

25\. Have you ever seen me cry? Yes 

26\. If there were one good nickname for me, what would it be? Superman 

27\. What do I love? Cascade, being a cop, your friends, fishing, camping, the Jags, being active 

Although he was rushing along, he still found the time to delight in how well Blair knew him. 

And then he reached the end. Number 28. 

28\. Have you ever had a crush on me? Yes 

Wow. There it was. The answer he'd hoped for. And dreaded. 

"Chief?" 

Sandburg was sitting on the loveseat, thumbing through Jim's latest issue of Sports Illustrated, pretending to be interested. "Yeah?" 

"Were you being, you know, sarcastic--" 

The magazine landed on the coffee table. "No." 

"--or yanking my chain--" 

"No." 

"Oh. Okay. Um, when exactly did you--?" 

"From day one, man. Ground zero." Blair was talking to his hands again. 

"Really. Hmmm. And, uh, how long did it last, this, um, crush?" 

"A little while," he lied smoothly. 

"I see. But you got over it. Obviously. I mean, all those women..." 

"Yeah. All those women. Well, good-night, Jim." 

"Oh, no you don't!" Jim came over and gently pushed Blair back down onto the loveseat. "You're the one who started this whole thing. The one who e-mailed me the survey. Who goaded me into doing it. So if you think you're going to go hide in your room instead of talking to me about this crush business, you can just damn well forget it." 

For the first time since dinner, Blair looked directly at Jim. "Now wait just one fucking minute here. _You're_ the poster boy for avoidance. Not me. You're the one who didn't bother--who didn't have the guts to answer the last question." 

"All right. All right. Fair enough." Jim removed his hand from Blair's shoulder and wiped it across his face. "Yes. My answer is yes." 

The anger in Blair's eyes faded, replaced by something else entirely. He snorted. "You. You had a crush. On me." 

"That's right. I did. On you." 

"When?" 

Jim thought for a moment. "Around the time you moved in, I guess." 

"Holy shit. Congratulations. You did a great job of hiding it." 

"Yeah, well, you know me. The poster boy for avoidance. And repression. You forgot to mention that one." 

Blair scratched his head. "How long did _yours_ last?" 

"I'm not sure." 

"Oh, come on. How can you not be sure about something like that?" 

Jim squared his shoulders. "Because, Blair, I can't remember exactly when it stopped being an infatuation and turned into--something more." 

Eyes nearly popping out of his head, Blair's mouth began forming a series of fish-like Os without making a sound. The big, warm hand returned to his shoulder and squeezed. 

"Can you remember when that happened to you?" Jim asked softly. 

Blair shook his head slowly, as though he were under water. 

"But it _did_ happen, right?" 

This time it was a silent nod. 

Jim let out a shaky little breath. "Good. Good. Okay. Good. Now the question is, what do we do about it? Do you even _want_ to do anything about it?" 

Sandburg found his voice. "Yes. God, yes. Do you?" 

And then slender fingers were pressing against his cheekbones, stroking his jawline, sliding into his hair, tilting his head, drawing him forward until Jim's lips touched his, tentatively. Awkwardly. Briefly. 

Still holding on, Ellison pulled back just enough. "That was a 'yes,' if you were wondering." 

"Say it again. But louder this time." 

* * *

From: Blair Sandburg [bsandburg@cascadepd.gov]  
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 4:49 PM  
To: Jim Ellison [jellison@cascadepd.gov]  
Subject: Dinner 

What have you got planned for tonight, Chef of the Great City? I'm having the worst craving for meat. Something thick and juicy. And hot. Very hot. Is that doable? 

Blair 

From: Jim Ellison [jellison@cascadepd.gov]  
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 4:51 PM  
To: Blair Sandburg [bsandburg@cascadepd.gov]  
Subject: RE: Dinner 

Chief- 

Yes. Very doable. Get your coat. Now. 

Yours,  
Jim 

* * *

Fini 


End file.
